Destiny Bloom
by LunaV-chan
Summary: A question bubbled up in the girl's chest, one that she had always silently pondered, but she had refrained from asking. 'Mama, how did you and Papa fall in love..' Part of the Destiny Saga.
1. Prologue

Hello! I'm back with another story. I'll be working on this alongside my drabble collection, _**Unforgettable Moments: 100 UsaxMamo Drabbles**_.

I would like to note before I start into this story that it **IS A SEQUEL** to _**Destiny Decision**_. **HOWEVER**, you do **NOT** have to read _**Destiny Decision**_ to understand it if you don't want to (though I would suggest it, as I will reference back to the story occasionally.) This is a continuation of that time line, and the characters are picking up and continuing their stories after that story.

The senshi this is focused on, however, is not one that you would expect me to start with. At the end of this chapter (this prologue, to be exact), I will tell you why I decided to start with this particular senshi.

I hate how it's practically impossible to keep identities secret in the details on the archives here. Lol. So you all know who the senshi is already, but.... pretend you don't?? lol.

_Destiny Bloom_  
Prologue

* * *

Fragrance showered all around a young girl as she lay on soft grass. Her long, light blonde hair spilled about her, the strands of it catching the sunlight and making it look like white silk. A cherry blossom floated down to her, and it landed on her nose. She giggled and blew out a puff of air to scatter it away.

She stared up at the branches of the cherry blossom tree she lay under. There wasn't a lovelier color in the universe than the soft pink of a cherry blossom's petals. They were her mother's favorite flowers, and the young girl had always held a very soft place in her heart for them as well. They were planted everywhere in the kingdom, at her mother's insistence. This planet was the only place where the trees continuously bloomed. According to what her mother told her, on Earth, where she had grown up, cherry blossoms bloomed for a very short period of time. The girl simply couldn't imagine a life where she wasn't constantly surrounded by the luscious flowers.

A musical, yet strong voice carried across the wind to the girl, calling the girl's name. She pushed herself up and laughed when she noticed all the cherry blossom petals that were scattered in her hair. A tall, graceful figure was walking toward her, and she reached her arm up to wave in excitement.

"Mama!" she called. The woman approaching her waved back, and even from a distance, the girl could see the happy expression on the woman's lovely face.

She hadn't seen her mother for several weeks. The lady had traveled to Earth for business, but the girl had remained home, as she still was young. Her mother didn't want to involve her in the court life of Earth until she felt she was old enough to handle it. At the age of twelve, the girl was just a few years too young for her mother to be satisfied. Fourteen, she would tell her daughter, was the right age. It was the age that she herself had been introduced to the life of a senshi, and it would be the year she would allow her to be introduced to it as well.

The girl had thought once to argue that the Princess of Earth and the Moon, Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, known to all as simply Princess Usagi, was already Sailor Moon and had been since she was a young girl of seven, under the name of Sailor Chibi Moon. However, given that the princess was destined to be the Queen of Earth and the Moon, the girl presumed that the Earth princess's training had to be completed at an earlier age. Earth was the ruler of all planets, after all. Still, Usagi was only two years older than her, and she was already considered a fully trained senshi. And the girl still had two years to wait before even beginning her training! She contented herself to the fact that the other planetary princesses had no training yet, either. She would not be alone.

The woman reached her and gazed down at the young girl with a loving expression, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I always know exactly where I will find you," she said.

The girl laughed gaily and shook her head to let the petals fall out of her hair. "It's my favorite tree in the kingdom."

The lady sat down in the grass in front of the girl, tucking her long skirts around her. It was her mother's favorite dress, light purple with long with trailing ribbons and silk skirts. It was a simple daytime dress, but it was elegant, perfect for the queen of the planet.

The girl tucked a strand of her long, blonde hair behind her ear. "Is Papa home as well?"

"Yes," the queen nodded.

"And your business on Earth...?" The girl had no idea what it was, as her parents never discussed the details of their busy lives with her. When they were home, they did not want to disturb their peace with accounts of their duties.

"Don't worry, my darling, we will be home for a long while before we have to return to Earth again," The woman soothed, reaching out and taking her daughter's smaller hand in her own. "All matters were resolved."

"I'm glad," the girl beamed, squeezing her mother's hand. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," the queen opened her arms and enveloped the girl in an embrace. "I am not whole without you."

"But you have Papa when you go away," the girl whispered.

"I am not whole without him, either. I need both of you, my precious loves." The girl leaned up to look at her mother's face. Her mother's eyes were looking away, and a gentle smile was caressing her features.

A question bubbled up in the girl's chest, one that she had always silently pondered, but she had refrained from asking. "Mama, how did you and Papa fall in love?"

The queen's eyes widened as she looked down at her beloved daughter. "Miko, where did that come from?"

Miko shrugged, pulling away from her mother's embrace to take both of her hands. "I've always wondered. Everyone knows the story of the King and Queen of Earth. I want to know your story, though."

With a silvery laugh, the lady tilted back her head, letting her raven locks grace the ground as she stared up into the branches of the cherry blossom tree. "Serenity and Endymion's romance is one born of fairy tales, and it is all the more enchanting because it is true." Two vivid, violet orbs lowered and rested on the same violet eyes repeated in her daughter. "Your father and I don't have quite as beautiful a tale."

"I want to know," Miko pressed, squeezing her mother's hand. "I know the tales and the stories of all of our dark enemies of the past, the tales of the senshi's battles, and the histories of all the planets..." The girl paused. "But I want to know the story of Sailor Mars, the fire senshi... Hino Rei, Shinto priestess... Princess Rei of the Silver Millennium... and Queen Rei of Mars, senshi and protector to Neo Queen Serenity."

Rei's lips tugged into a wide smile at her daughter's proclamation of all of her titles. "You want to know about my life?" Miko nodded ecstatically. The queen of Mars laughed and leaned back against the tree. "Alright, then. It may not be quite as enchanting as the tale of Serenity and Endymion, but your father and I do have quite a history."

Miko rolled away from her mother and laid flat on her stomach, propping her head to lay in her hands as her elbows rested on the grass. "I'm listening." She prompted, which made the queen's lips tug into a a smile.

"So impatient, just like your mother," she teased, and then the queen closed her eyes and opened her mouth to tell her tale.

* * *

End Prologue

Well, who all thought I would start with an Ami sequel? Lol. Since **Destiny Decision** focused a lot around Ami. But I have started with Rei. I have been thinking for a while about a Rei story. Also, the fact that Rei is a Shinto priestess kept entering my mind for some reason, and the idea to give her a daughter that she names "Miko" in acknowledgment of that just _**stuck**_ with me! So that is the real purpose for starting with Rei's story.

Also, with Destiny Decision, there were many flashbacks into the past, the Silver Millennium. This story is going in a different direction, in which you can probably already see. But enough about it. This prologue is just a tasting, so I hope you all like it, and if you do, please leave me a review and tell me what you think! (Or even if you don't like it, lol.) I hope to have some support for this story, as senshi stories are not very popular usually, though I don't understand why. But even though reviews aren't needed when writing (I hate when I see stories that say "discontinued for lack of reviews"... writing just for the reviews isn't right at all! Where's the love of it if it's just for reviews?), they are very helpful in letting us writers know if we're doing something wrong, or if we're headed in the right direction! It helps to see what people are thinking; that really helps me a lot.

So thank you to everyone who reviews this, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing anything at all! Lol.


	2. Chapter One

Here we go with Chapter One! Thank you to the reviews! I'm really excited to get started into this story. This is going to be so much fun! Lol. (Is it crazy how ecstatic I get about writing a new tale?!?! lol.)

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, and I have made up my mind. I am going to write this story and **Destiny Reflection**, Ami-chan's story, parallel to each other. So I will try to update them together, write them together, etc. I will do the same thing for Minako (**Destiny Enlightened***)and Makoto's (**Destiny Whisper***) stories. I can't write all 4 at once (my poor brain would fry!) but I want to keep them all as close together as I can, to keep them in congruence with one another. So with that in mind, Rei's story and Ami's story happen at about the same time. So elements in both stories are going to cross over each other. If you read both, you'll really be able to see that. If you don't, that's fine. You don't need to read both to know what's going on, but you just won't get the full story without reading them.

***These titles are not set in stone yet.** I haven't completely made up my mind about Minako and Makoto's stories just yet. These are just small ideas at the moment.

Okay, with all that said, here's chapter one. And I encourage you to go ahead and check out **Destiny Reflection** as well. These are going to be updated at the same time from now on.

_Destiny Bloom_  
Chapter One  


* * *

As was her ritual every early morning, Hino Rei stood on the stoned pathway of the Hikawa Shrine and swept away the loose leaves and other small bits of rubbish that had landed in the way during the night. It was a calming ritual for her, even if it was a chore. The soft whisper of the broom's bristles brushing against the stone gave her a sense of calm before she would return into the temple, change into her school uniform, and trudge off for her day at the T.A. Private Catholic School for girls.

The wind was blowing softly against her skin, and she sucked in a deep breath of air. It was early springtime, and the cherry blossom trees that lined the interior walls of the shrine were in full bloom. The fragrance they gave the air was so sweet that it made Rei simply want to stand there and forget the rest of her day, just so that she could remain in the loveliness.

But the sun was rising in the sky, and as she watched the sunrise over the steps of the shrine, she knew it was time for her to return inside. Sighing and giving another fleeting glance to the trees, for one more glance of beauty, the girl stole inside the temple and put her broom away.

* * *

Rei sauntered along the sidewalk toward her school, in no real hurry at all. She smiled wryly as she thought of her good friend, Tsukino Usagi, in comparison to her own early rising rituals. Even with her awakened identity as Princess Serenity, the girl was still habitually late for school every morning. Rei's wry look remained as she remembered, however, that Serenity had always loved sleeping more than just about anything. It was no wonder the girl still couldn't manage to wake up on time.

"Rei-chan!" A cheery, singsong voice erupted from behind her. "Rei-chaaaan! Reeeei-chan!"

The girl stopped walking and swung around, her long, black hair flying in the wind behind her. "Minako-chan! Ohayo!" She called, raising a hand to wave at the blonde haired girl who was running toward her.

In her blue and white school uniform with her long, honey blonde tresses, just as long as Rei's hair, tied up in a bright red bow, Aino Minako skidded to a halt in front of her priestess friend. She gave Rei a happy grin as she tried to catch her breath. "Ohayo!" She wheezed.

Rei reached out one of her hands to pat Minako on the back. "Breathe, Minako-chan. Breathe." She chuckled. Even though Minako and Rei attended different schools, as Minako attended Shiba Koen Junior High School, their schools were close, and they often could walk almost the entire way with each other, if they happened to see one another on the way.

It was the only time of day that Rei got to see any of her friends, as the rest of them attended Azabu Juban Junior High School. Otherwise, she would have to wait to see them after school.

She had many friends at her own school, of course, and she prided herself on being friendly and popular with everyone. She had most girls at the school looking up to her. But she wasn't close to any of them. Her closest friends were Minako, Usagi, Kino Makoto, and Mizuno Ami. They all shared a deep bond of friendship, one that spanned millenniums. As senshi and protectors to Princess Serenity, or the current day Usagi, no one else could really understand just how deep the ties ran between the five girls. They had been friends before anyone on the planet had even been born... before they themselves, in this time, had been born.

Minako looped her white sleeved arm through Rei's gray sleeved one. Grinning at her friend, she started to pull her forward again. "Rei-chan, I have news."

Rei forced her violet eyes not to roll. Minako, the senshi of love, Sailor Venus, _always_ had news. And that news _always_ had something to do with... what else? Love. It was like Minako's air. Gossip involving boys, flirting, and romance had circled around the girl for centuries. It didn't matter if she was a princess in a flowing ball gown or a schoolgirl in a uniform. Minako had always had an eye for romance.

The miko arched an eyebrow at the girl, indicating that she should proceed with her findings. Well, who was Rei to refuse gossip if Minako had it? She herself could never resist the little tidbits that the blonde girl was always finding out. She just wished she had Minako's abilities for finding it!

Her own abilities lay elsewhere, though. Her premonitions had absolutely nothing to do with the small intricacies of normal human life, but they were her own special power. While Minako's abilities lay in love and the makings of it, Rei possessed a strength of psychic powers that the fire senshi relied on for every and any matter of evil. Rei could literally sense if evil was near, because her powers were just that strong. Sometimes, if an enemy put up a strong shield, and Rei's fires weren't able to tell her something, the miko felt completely blind, as if someone had put a blindfold over her eyes and told her to run into a pit of snakes. She relied on her psychic sight just as her friends relied on their normal sight.

"Well," Minako drawled, breaking into Rei's thoughts. "It seems our Ami-chan can't stay down for _too_ long!"

Rei's perfectly groomed black eyebrows stayed risen. "What do you mean?"

"I saw her talking to a boy yesterday!" Minako squealed, jumping into the air and dragging Rei's arm up with her. The blonde landed with a hard smack as the bottom of her black, low heels rammed against the sidewalk concrete. "Who knew our Ami-chan really was such a romantic?! I mean, I guess you can't blame her." Minako nodded empathetically. "With everything back to normal now, she can really get over Endymion this time and find her own guy!"

"Minako, shh!" Rei hissed, whipping her head around to make sure no one on the sidewalk surrounding them was in earshot. "How many times has Usagi told you _not_ to call her or Mamoru-san by their other names?!"

"Gomen, gomen," Minako lamented, rolling her sky blue eyes. "I don't get why Usagi-chan makes such a big deal out of it."

"Because those aren't exactly common names, Minako-chan. And they can be found only in mythology texts!"

Minako frowned, and her lower lip protruded slightly. Rei sighed, knowing the feelings behind that pout. She herself didn't exactly like that the true history of the universe was only in books as a complete myth, and that no one knew the reality of it. Maybe their lives wouldn't be so complicated if they didn't have to keep so many secrets all the time...

Minako was chattering again, obviously not about to let a small matter get in her way. "Anyway, I didn't really see the guy, cause he had his back to me, but he was blonde and tallish. They were in the library together; isn't that cute? I always thought Ami would go after a smart, bookish guy. I'm guessing that's why she and End—er, the other Mamoru—fell in love in the first place. Though, I don't guess we'll ever really know that, will we?"

Rei shook her head. "No, and it's best that it remains solidly in the past. I think we've seen enough of what happened with Ami-chan and Mamoru-san in the past. Even you, oh thou lover of gossip, can agree with that, right?" She gave Minako a sly look out of the corner of her eye, and Minako coughed, nodding weakly. Rei laughed. "Why were you in the library, of all places, anyways?"

"Just to see what was going on with Ami-chan."

"Minako-chan!"

"What? I just couldn't resist! I thought I would run up and surprise her, but then I saw that guy walk up to her! So I hid behind some shelves to see what happened. They just talked for a few minute and then Ami ran off."

"You are such a spy!"

Minako only giggled. The girls reached Rei's school and separated then, waving goodbye. Minako reminded Rei that their group was going to meet together at the CROWN Fruit Parlor that afternoon, and Rei nodded, waving to her as she dashed through the gates to her private school.

Minako broke into a dash as she realized that she still had another block to go before she reached her school and it was almost time for the bell.

* * *

As her teacher droned on about the mechanics of the English language, Rei found herself staring out the window beside her desk at the blooming cherry blossom trees. Usually, she tried to be attentive in class, but what Minako had said had distracted her to the point that she couldn't get her mind off it. She knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially about Ami, the shyest of all of the senshi, but could it be that Ami was dating someone?

She sighed jealously. She hadn't experienced any romance in her fifteen years of life (she didn't allow her mind to even _think_ of romance in the past millennium. That was a subject she had hammered completely shut.). Now that life had resumed normally, with no Dark Kingdom enemies lurking around the corners, would she be able to lead a normal life as well? It had been several months since the defeat of Beryl, and the girls had returned, thankfully, to a normal enough life. But... things would never, and could never, return to the way they had been before, now that their pasts were awake inside of them.

Not that it bothered Rei, really. She knew that Ami had had a very difficult time adjusting to having her past soul and her current soul mixing in the same body, but she herself hadn't had any difficulty at all. Even Minako had a little trouble at first, because she had to reconcile the fact that her mother was only one of two mothers that she had. Rei, however, hadn't had difficulty like that. Her own mother had died when she was young, and she couldn't even remember her. And her father? Well, she didn't even know where he was. He was a popular politician, and he only saw her every once in a blue moon. In fact, she hadn't seen him in at least five years. Not that she cared; he didn't seem to care for her, so why she should she waste her efforts to try and love a shadow she didn't know? It twinged slightly in her heart when she thought that her Ojii-chan wasn't really her grandfather, but it didn't matter to her, because she loved him just as much.

She thought of her parents of the Silver Millennium often; they seemed to live in her thoughts these days. Her mother, Ariesa, was a direct descendant of Mars. Of true Mars blood, the Queen of Mars had been senshi to Queen Serenity of the Moon when the Queen was still but a princess herself. However, as time had worn on and the queen had married and had a daughter, the needs of the kingdoms had shifted. Then, a new generation of senshi had aged to come to the aid of the new heir of the moon, Princess Serenity II. Rei herself had been a member of that guard as Sailor Mars.

Her father, Coronis, had a simpler past. He'd been a prince of one of the countries of Mars, and he had met her mother during a Planetary Assembly. She smiled as she remembered that her parents had had quite a love match, and they had been lucky when they had been allowed to marry. Princesses or Princes of high planetary blood could only marry other high planetary royalty or the slightly lower royalty within their planet's countries. It was a confusing system for Rei to understand, but what did it matter now if she did?

Her planet had a bloody history, though. Her parents had been torn apart constantly by civil wars that raged within Mars. Apparently, her people were of high tempers. Rei smiled wryly to herself as she thought of her own temper. So they were often in the middle of battles, wars, and constant onslaughts of different invasions within countries. The powers of Mars protected the Kingdom of Mars, however, so no battle ever waged within the gates of Rei's home. Not that she had liked to spend much time there, as lovely as it was. She had preferred to remain on the Moon with her friends... where she did not have to hear news of war. She had adored her parents though, and they her. When the three weren't pulled apart by duty and obligations, they had been the happiest family.

She sighed. She had no trouble adjusting to the blending personalities inside of her. In fact, she figured that she really hadn't changed in the past millennium. Her Silver Millennium counterpart, Princess Rei, was really no different from her. Except that, in the past, she had not had any other dreams besides marrying and ruling her planet someday.

She sighed once again, resting her head in her hand. Her friend Michie, in the desk next to hers, shot the girl a glance as she heard the repeating sighs. Rei didn't even notice the brunette's glance, because she was so completely lost in her own thoughts.

What were her dreams now? She'd always wanted to be a singer, or an actress... but what place did that have in the scheme of things? Was love allowed for her? She was destined, she knew, to always be a senshi and protector of Serenity, but where did that leave her dreams? Her future? Her chance at love?

The girl stared out at the falling petals of the cherry blossom tree, her eyes glazed over in silent speculation.

* * *

The bell rang and signaled the end of English class, and Rei rose from her desk thankfully. Michie was giving her a strange look, and the raven-haired girl blinked her eyes back at the shorter girl that stood beside her desk.

"Michie-chan," She tilted her head. "What is it?"

"How many times can one girl sigh during a class period? You're going to tell me what's so sigh-worthy later!" The sprite-like girl announced, rolling her eyes as she started toward the front of the class. Rei shared her next class with Michie as well, so she hurriedly followed after her.

Michie, a short haired brunette with deep brown eyes, was her closest friend at the school, though she couldn't say she ever saw her outside of school. Still, the girls conversed together easily and had a relatively good, casual friendship. Rei always found it endearing to have another person near her at the school, who was like her in personality: bossy, blunt, and strong. Even if Michie reminded her of Usagi in height, the small brunette was just as fiery on the inside as Rei herself was.

The teacher, a short, elderly nun with thick rimmed glasses, was waving her hands at the students as they were filing out of the classroom. "Girls, we're having an extra special guest with us tomorrow in class! Please be sure to practice your homework tonight, because you'll want to be prepared for tomorrow! Our guest is American!"

Rei and Michi rolled their eyes as they left, because really... who would actually practice their homework more for a guest speaker? It just meant they got out of any actual work tomorrow to listen to them speak.

* * *

Michie didn't have another chance to talk to Rei until lunch, because their second class of the day was mathematics, and the teacher was so stern that no one dared to utter a word during class.

Rei was incredibly relieved by the time lunch rolled around. Her eyes and head aching from all the letters and numbers jumbled together on the algebra problems, she carried her bentou with her to a tall cherry blossom tree on the school lunch grounds and settled herself beneath it. Michie joined her minutes later, complaining loudly that Sister Gertrude, the German nun that taught their mathematics class, was a complete drone who should go back to a convent.

Rei had to bite into a meat bun quickly to stop the rolling laughter that tried to escape her. A few of the other girls nearby had little such luck, as they started chuckling, which elicited a harsh look from one of the passing teachers.

Michie grinned and turned to Rei. "So now, tell me, what was the sighing all about?"

Rei shook her head. "Mmm, nothing. I was just thinking about something going on with one of my friends."

"Which one?" Michie knew all about all of Rei's friends, as Rei always found herself talking about them.

"Ami-chan."

"The blue-haired genius girl. Got it. So what's up with her?"

Rei leaned back against the tree. "Minako-chan told me this morning that she saw Ami-chan with a guy."

"Ooh, the plot gets interesting," Michie's eyebrows wagged. "So what does that have to do with you sighing like a wind machine?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Nothing! I just..." The raven haired girl turned her head to the side. "I just wonder when it will be my turn. First Usagi-chan, now Ami-chan. Of all the girls to fall behind... quiet, shy, Ami-chan?!"

Michie shook her head. "Romance isn't something that just waits around for you, Rei-chan. You have to go after it, don't you know?" The girl tilted her head. "Where's spirited Rei-chan? Where's the girl who organized the entire international festival last month, who went after her own school concert and got it?* I'm not seeing her in this sighing, dismal person. The Rei-chan I know goes after what she wants and she gets it, no matter what strength it takes her."

Rei's violet eyes grew lighter and her face slowly spread out into a wide smile. "You're right."

Michie shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, of course I am. Aren't I always?"

"I've been thinking too much lately, I guess," Rei laughed lightly, trying to hide the strain. She waved a hand airily. "Too much has been going on."

Michie nodded, but didn't say anything. She knew not to press Rei, because at a certain point, her questions about her life outside of school were shot down with a harsh look and an evident "beware" sign. She had learned where the boundaries lay, and she treaded them lightly as their friendship dictated.

Rei spoke up again. "But I won't worry another minute about it. Boyfriend, smoyfriend." Rei tossed her hair behind her. "Men are a lot of trouble anyways. They always have been." Michie nodded as if she understood completely, but on the inside, Rei churned, knowing all too well that the words she uttered came from Hino Rei alone.  


* * *

End Chapter One

This chapter was pretty much meant to set things up, as you can see. I love background stories, lol.

*Erm, I know this is out of place. This happens during the Ail/An part of Sailor Moon R, but since basically this story is taking place during the time period that Ail/An would have showed up, it's not THAT much out of place. So let's just say the festival happened with no nasty cardian showing up this time! lol.

I'm finding it a bit difficult to write without incorporating **Destiny Decision**, because... well, the background is crucial. It might be a good idea if you read **Destiny Decision**, though I'm going to keep trying to keep the stories as separate as possible. It may get easier once I get back story clarified.

Also, a few new things I introduced here... can you see the correlation to anything... "Rei" related? I'll share it with you in the next chapter, but I wonder who can see them? Lol.

**Destiny Reflection, **the prologue and chapter one, will be released alongside this chapter, so for a different viewpoint on what's happening at the same time, see that story! (Chapter One of DR is one day before this chapter.) Again, note that I am writing these two stories side by side.

See you all next time, and please review and let me know what you think! Any advice is greatly appreciated, and I really enjoy how awesome it is to read a review and see that others have a lot of the same opinions as me about the characters.


	3. Chapter Two

Alright, here is chapter two. I am very sorry I haven't been updating lately, but I've been very busy with work, and I have been trying to get out of a slump. Even though I adore my ideas for these Saga stories, I've had very little inspiration lately.

As promised, a guide to the names chosen in the last chapter:

**Ariesa:** This should have been simple enough. It's a reference to Ares, Greek god of war. The Roman equivalent, as you all probably know, is Mars. This can also be a reference to Aries, Rei's zodiac sign (her birthday is April 17th.)**  
Coronis: **This is the name of the planet that Phobos and Deimos, Rei's guardian crows, are said to come from in the manga.**  
Michie: **Rei's seiyuu (voice actress) in the anime was Tomizawa Michie.

_Destiny Bloom  
_Chapter Two

* * *

When Rei arrived at the CROWN Fruit Parlor after school, Minako and Kino Makoto were already there. Rei scooted into the corner booth beside the tall brunette Makoto, who was busily flipping through a menu.

"Hey, Rei-chan," she said distractedly. "I could make any of this so easily. Remind me why we come here everyday when I could just cook for us?" The girl was muttering, her green eyes crossed.

Minako was busily slurping at her favorite drink, a pink, strawberry concoction in a tall glass. "The drinks, of course!"

Makoto simply shook her head and dropped the menu on the table. Rei chuckled and tossed her black hair behind her shoulder. "Plus it's just convenient for us all to come here, Mako-chan."

"Yeah, and Rei doesn't feed us if we go to the temple," grumbled an approaching Usagi. Rei narrowed her eyes at the girl and stuck her tongue out at her, but the blonde odango didn't even seem to notice. She yawned loudly and slid into the booth beside Minako.

"She's been like this all day," Makoto commented to Minako and Rei, who both nodded and made noises of acknowledgment.

Usagi buried her head in her arms on the table. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Mamo-chan kept me up all night."

Rei and Minako's eyes both bugged out of their skulls, but Makoto started to wave a hand at them. "Don't go there, I asked the same thing. Apparently Mamoru-san was helping her with her homework."

"Why else would Mama let me stay over at his place?" Usagi yawned into her arms, her eyes closed.

"How boring," Minako sulked, and she took a deep slurp of her drink.

"Your mother lets you stay at Mamoru-san's apartment?" Rei shot one eyebrow up. "That is incredible."

"Last night was the first time," Usagi said. "Mamo-chan is an absolute charmer with my mother. He could probably tell her he's kidnapping and raping me and she'd still say yes."

Rei snorted and bit back a chuckle. When she had dated Mamoru, he hadn't seemed that charming. She sighed inwardly. But that was probably because he hadn't been interested. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't believe she had been either. She and Mamoru were so... wrong together. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened? Mamoru and Usagi belonged together, and that was pure destiny. Nothing could come between them, and that had been proven.

"Where's Ami-chan?" Minako asked, swiveling her head around to peer outside the window.

"She has mock tests at her cram school today," Makoto answered.

Minako sighed dramatically, dropping her elbows on the table. "I wanted to quiz her about blondie boy."

Usagi eyes opened and her head lifted to look at Minako. She remained silent. Rei watched the blonde girl, noticing that she got a different look in her eye.

"Blondie boy? What's this about blondie boy?" Makoto grinned, always up for any gossip that Minako decided to share.

Rei waved a hand. "Minako-chan saw Ami-chan talking to a blonde guy at the library yesterday, but she can't tell you if he's cute because he had his back to her. There, end of story."

Minako had opened her mouth to answer, and now she snapped it shut and gave Rei a stormy glance for interrupting her spotlight.

Rei, however, only smiled, and her eyes sought out Usagi again, who had once again dropped her head in her arms. Usagi knew something about Ami and wasn't telling them? She wanted to ask, but the girl was... snoring. The other girls snapped their heads to look down at Usagi and, indeed, she was snoring into her arms.

They giggled and continued their conversation without her.

* * *

The next morning, Rei arrived to school ahead of time, mostly because Minako hadn't been on the sidewalk to walk with her. Rei shrugged it off and didn't bother to worry, suspecting that the bubbly blonde took a longer route to school in order to spy on Ami or something. When Minako had prey in mind, she was an unrelenting tigress till she got what she wanted: the juicy scoop.

Michie was already in her desk as well. She waved to Rei as the girl entered the classroom and took her seat. The brunette thumbed to the front desk. "The guest is already here. You've got to see him. He's gorgeous."

Rei raised a black eyebrow and turned her eyes to the desk at the front, where their English teacher was talking to a very tall man. Her jaw dropped open and she narrowed her eyes.

Blinking, the girl continued to stare. Was it possible? Was that really... _Nephrite_?! Rei scanned the man's appearance. He was talking cheerfully to the elderly lady, and his dark brown eyes were crinkled, smiling just as his lips were. His hair was dark brown, long, and wavy as usual, but...

"He looks so kind," Rei muttered, and Michie nodded, oblivious to the thoughts going on in Rei's head.

"Looks like my kind," the girl snickered. Rei snapped back to her senses and blinked at her friend. The final bell rang and everyone shuffled into their seats as the teacher started to calm the class down to begin the day.

"Class, as I told you yesterday," the old woman began, pushing her glasses up on her nose, "we have a very special guest here today with us. I hope you'll give him your undivided attention, yes?" The nun looked around the room, and most of the girls were swooning with their eyes glued to the man, who only grinned in response. The nun cleared her throat. "Ah... girls, this is Mr. Nicholas Terran. He's an American exchange student at the Azubu Institute. Terran-san, if you'd like..." The teacher waved a hand toward the man, who nodded and stepped forward.

Rei scrunched her brow. Nicholas Terran, an American exchange student. What did that mean? Did Nephrite know who he was? Would he recognize her? She scrutinized him as he approached the class and started to speak.

"Good morning, ladies," he said with an easy smile, his English perfect and unaccented. Several of the girls let out giddy sighs. He switched to Japanese. "As your teacher already said, my name is Terran Nicholas, and I am studying at the Azubu Institute. I'm here today because I am part of the language department at the school, and soon I will be leaving the university to pursue teaching English." He grinned. "So you may never know. I may be teaching in your own school one day. Today, your teacher has offered to let me give your lesson for the day." The girls in the classroom let out sighs. Rei noted all the heart-eyed gazes of the girls, but she rolled her own eyes. Nephrite had always been fairly confident of himself. It was the hair. Had to be.

The tall man turned to the black board and began to teach. Rei sighed and opened her textbook, flipping to the chapter they were on. She listened attentively today, but not really to the lesson. She listened more to Nephrite's attitude and personality.

His eyes lighted on hers once, and she gave him a wide-eyed, meaningful look, but he only looked at her confusedly for a moment before turning once again to the board. Rei frowned. He didn't remember. It was obvious. The girl turned to stare out the window at the cherry blossom trees. So Nephrite was here as an American student practicing to be an English teacher. Did that mean the other Shitennou were alive and well? She suddenly took in a deep breath of air, eliciting a curious glance from Michie. If Nephrite was alive and well...

Rei darted her hand into the air. Nicholas noticed her and pointed her out. "Ah, yes...?"

"Are you here alone in Japan?"

The man looked puzzled, and he looked to her teacher, who only shrugged, wondering what had gotten into the young girl. Hino Rei was known as a very serious, good student. He looked back into her fierce violet eyes. "I... am here with my three brothers. Two of them are studying at the university with me."

"And the other?"

"Well, he's actually teaching there..."

Rei nodded. That must be Kunzite. He was much older than the rest of the Shitennou. She looked firmly up at him. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

The man stared at her with a strange look for a long moment until clearing his throat and turning back to his lesson. Michie and several of the other girls were also staring at her, but Rei hardly noticed. She looked out the window again.

What should she do? The others were in the city as well, at the university. A spark hit her thoughts suddenly. Didn't _Mamoru_ attend Azubu Institute? She frowned. Did he know they were there? She would have to find out.

* * *

Usagi and Mamoru were sitting lazily in the corner booth of the CROWN Fruit Parlor when Rei approached them. Usagi was busily consuming an ice cream while Mamoru had his reading glasses propped on his nose, a book in his lap. Mamoru's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Rei.

"Rei-chan," he acknowledged, and Usagi looked up. The blonde looked confused.

"Konnichiwa, Rei-chan," she said. "I thought you were going shopping with Mako-chan today?"

"I am," Rei nodded, and slid into the booth. "But I have to talk to Mamoru-san first."

Mamoru closed his book, gave his girlfriend a confused glance, and sat up. "What is it, Rei-chan?"

"We had a guest speaker in our English class today," she noted, splaying her fingers out on the table and inspecting her nails. "It was Nephrite, calling himself Nicholas Terran from America."

Mamoru and Usagi exchanged a glance, as if they had heard this before...

The miko looked up. "He's studying at Azubu Institute, and he says he has brothers there as well. Mamoru-san, have you seen them?"

"I... yes, I have..." Mamoru scratched his head, and he darted a glance to Usagi.

Rei blinked. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Usagi sighed and leaned back. "Ami-chan has already talked to us about this. She's known about them for months, apparently. She saw Zoicite again yesterday." The girl paused and gave her fiery friend a tentative smile. "Don't get mad, Rei-chan, but we're not telling any of you that the Shitennou are here unless you find them yourselves. It's what we told Ami-chan, too."

"They have no memories, Rei-chan," Mamoru informed her, leaning forward across the table. "They know nothing of their past, of Beryl, of myself, or of you and the other senshi. We decided it would be best for you all to lead your lives without knowledge of them. So you could choose your own fates."

The raven-haired girl nodded slowly, and she looked up at Usagi. "This was _your_ idea, wasn't it?"

Usagi's lips twitched, and she leaned against Mamoru's arm. "We talked about it and decided together, but it was initially my idea, yes, Rei."

Mamoru's blue eyes narrowed as he stared across the table at Rei. "Rei-chan, how... did you know that?"

She shrugged, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. "Mamoru-san, I've known Usagi for a lot longer than you have," she said, grinning. "Since we were young girls in the Silver Millennium. I know the way the girl thinks."

Usagi let out a silvery laugh, and Mamoru instantly noted that it wasn't an Usagi laugh. The girl's blue eyes met Rei's violet ones, twinkling merrily. "Rei knows my heart better than I do sometimes."

Rei smiled back at her, nodding as she leaned her head against her folded hands. "You always try to protect us."

"Don't you all always do the same for me?" Usagi retorted playfully, while Mamoru simply sat rolling his dark eyes, deciding it was time to pick his book up again. Rei apparently wasn't going to be as difficult to explain things to as Ami had been.

Rei shook her head and smiled to herself. "Well, Mako-chan will be waiting for me, so I won't intrude on your afternoon together any longer. Ja ne, Mamoru-san. Usagi-chan." She stood and nodded to them before starting to leave.

Usagi watched as she left before turning to Mamoru. "Wonder what's going on in her head."

"She seemed to take it well." Mamoru noted, his eyes scanning his book once again.

"Mmm, you don't really know with Rei sometimes, Mamo-chan," Usagi said quietly, staring in the empty space where the miko had been. "She keeps her thoughts very hidden, and sometimes you think she's fine, but..."

Mamoru put his book down and wrapped a secure arm around the girl's waist, pulling her close to him. "But you know her well enough that you'll know if something is wrong."

Usagi nodded and looked up at him, a pink tint covering her face at his closeness. "Hai."

* * *

The next morning when Rei walked into class, she noticed that Nicholas was standing at the front of the classroom instead of her teacher. She came to a complete standstill and stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

Several of the girls in the classroom gasped at her bluntness, but Michie, who was already in her seat, simply smirked.

Nicholas gave her a warm smile. "Sister Justine has caught some sort of virus that's going around the school, so I volunteered to teach her classes for the rest of the week. Hino-san, hurry and have a seat. We'll be starting class soon."

She didn't move, but she stood staring at him for a long moment. She wanted to ask about... no. Rei shook her head and headed to her desk, brushing past the man roughly.

Michie stared at her. "You really don't like him, do you?"

Rei glanced at the brunette out of the corner of her eye. "It's not that. It's..." She paused, glancing up to where Nephrite was talking to another student, who had dared to approach him while her friends giggled from nearby. She sighed. "What if I told you that his brother and I once... almost... had a sort of... thing?"

Michie's eyes widened. "No way! Hontou?"

Rei nodded, her eyes glued to Nephrite. "It's... complicated, Michie-chan."

The brown eyed girl started to open her mouth to ask more, but Rei turned her head to gaze out the window, and Michie sighed, knowing that the conversation was closed.

* * *

"Hino-san," Nicholas Terran called to the raven-haired girl as she started to leave the classroom. She turned around, her book bag gripped in both of her hands, and stared up at him. "May I have a word?"

The girl raised a black eyebrow and walked closer to the front desk, where he stood. The rest of the girls filed out of the classroom, shooting Rei curious glances as they went.

The man looked down at the girl when they were finally alone. "Hino-san, from your grades listed, you seem to be a very intelligent girl."

Rei snorted. "This isn't one of my favorite subjects."

The man chuckled. "No, you don't seem to enjoy class. But you have a fairly good grade, and I am worried that you are allowing my presence to distract you in class. Tell me, is there something I'm doing that you are displeased with?"

The girl blanked. What to say to him? "Ano... iie..."

"Hino-san, you obviously don't like me, and you've made it very obvious to the entire class. Just don't let your dislike intrude upon your grades, alright?" The brown-haired man smiled at her warmly, obviously not bothered by her in the least.

Rei frowned. "It's not that, Terran-sensei. You just... remind me of someone I once knew."

The man laughed. "You are very young, Hino-san." He shook his head. "Have a good day, and make sure to study for tomorrow's exam."

Rei turned to walk away, her heart thumping uneasily in her chest. She sighed and gripped the door frame. "Terran-sensei, what are your brothers studying at the university?"

She didn't turn to look back at him, but she noted confusion in his voice. "My youngest brother Zachary is studying medicine, and Jackson is studying Japanese history. The origins."

"I see," Rei murmured. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Terran-sensei."

"Why so much interest in my brothers, Hino-san?"

"No reason," she whispered. "Sayonara." She quickly left the room, leaving the man to stare at the empty doorway.

He stood with a raised eyebrow. "That girl is very strange."

* * *

After school, Rei avoided her school friends, Michie in particular, in order to walk quietly home. She didn't feel up to meeting the other senshi at the CROWN Fruit Parlor, either, and she hoped they wouldn't be upset with her absence. Her mind was a bit full, though, and really she just wanted to be alone.

She mounted the steps of her temple home, her head bowed slightly as her book bag swayed against her short black skirt. As she approached the temple, Kumada Yuichiro, her grandfather's awkward temple apprentice, ran up to her, a broomstick in his hands from where he was obviously doing chores.

"Rei-san," he skidded to a halt in front of her. "Konnichiwa, Rei-san. There's a man here to talk with you."

"Yuichiro," Rei raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

The man shook his head, shrugging. His dark brown hair drooped into his eyes, blocking the raven-hair girl from seeing the blue orbs or their expression. "He's never been here before. I'm not sure who he is. He said he wanted to speak with the Hikawa Shrine maiden."

Rei's brow furrowed. "So he doesn't even know me." Yuichiro shook his head. The girl nodded and brushed past him to head into the temple. "I'll meet him after I change clothes."

* * *

Once she changed into her red and white priestess robe, Rei slipped open the back panel door to the temple and stepped into the garden. She pushed her black hair behind her shoulders and took a deep breath, wondering who was looking to speak to her. Why her and not her grandfather?

A tall man was standing underneath one of the cherry blossom trees that lined the garden. His back was to her, but Rei felt her heart flip at the sight of him. His hair was a light blonde, short and slightly wavy. He looked very familiar. Too familiar.

"You asked to speak to me?" She asked, her voice sounding a lot more firm than she felt.

The man turned and looked her square in the eye, and she bit back a gasp as she looked at him. She had known it was going to be him simply by his hair, but it was just as shocking to see his piercing, ice blue eyes staring down at hers.

Jadeite.

* * *

End Chapter Two

Alright, hope you enjoy this story so far. I'm sorry it's been so slow, but I'll try to hurry more with the next chapter. **Destiny Reflection** will be updated next, though. Way it works with these stories, lol.

Please review and tell me what you think!


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